North Dakota can now approve its own coal ash dump permits

The US environmental regulators are giving North Dakota more power to approve permits for coal ash disposal sites. This means the state, not the federal government, will decide how coal power plants manage their waste.

For years, federal regulators have overseen how states manage coal ash, a toxic byproduct of burning coal. This change means North Dakota can set its own rules and approve its own permits, potentially making it easier and faster for coal plants to operate. This shifts the burden of environmental oversight from federal to state agencies.